— Employment Hub —

This is a grant funded position overseeing the Better Together and Teen Advisory Council Youth Leaders in a community action research project.  The Better Together Community Action Research Project’s objective is to identify the obstacles preventing Yavapai County Residents from participating in civil discourse, as well as the issues/topics residents feel need to be addressed in order to increase unity within our community.

The grant written to fund this position was proposed in response to recent events that demonstrated a lack of understanding, compassion, and skill in navigating differences within our community around race, age, religion, sexuality, gender, and political affiliation.

The objective of Better Together is to help reconnect Yavapai County residents to one another through increasing skillsets around civil discourse. Our hypothesis is that a greater understanding and ability to engage in civil discourse and the opportunity to apply those skills across difference, will lead to a stronger more connected community, better equipped for collaborative decision making and the design of creative community solutions.

This position will be responsible for successfully implementing the requirements of the grant and project, responsibilities include:

• Recruiting and training 10 teen research assistants and 10 teen leaders for the Better Together Campaign
• Training teen research assistants and leaders in Community Action Research
• Designing and implementing a plan to survey approximately 1000 community members
• Oversight of data compilation from community surveys and research
• Oversight of the creation of a handbook for engaging in civil discourse
• Planning and implementation of a community event and presentation to share research findings and recruit participants for year two of the grant.
• Design of year two Better Together Campaign
• Documentation of Year 1 grant objectives and findings and reporting on grant guidelines and requirements to The Arizona Community Foundation.
• Other duties as needed

This position requires an enthusiasm and interest in community impact, empowering youth to create positive change in their community, and an ability to be self-directed.  This position will also require some public speaking, the development of community relationships amongst youth and other community stakeholders, and an ability to maintain professional boundaries and develop professional relationships.

The grant has been funded for one year and will be will be funded for year two upon successful completion of year one.  A third year may also be funded upon successful completion of year two.  It is our hope that the Better Together Coordinator will stay with the program for the entire 3 years of the project.

This position reports to the Executive Director of The Launch Pad Teen Center and works closely with the Fund Development Director of The Launch Pad Teen Center and the Program Director for The Launch Pad Teen Center.

Position Requirements and Experience:

• Four year Undergraduate Degree- preferably in an area connected to the humanities, civil discourse, community development, research methodologies, education, and/or social justice
• Experience in conducting qualitative research
• Experience leading adolescents
• Experience with public speaking
• Ability to use Microsoft Office and Google Docs
• Kolbe MO Assessment to be provided to you by The Launch Pad Teen Center
• A clear background check conducted by The Launch Pad Teen Center
• A fingerprint clearance card required upon hiring

Academic Mentors are responsible for helping teens identify their challenges, explore their strengths, and define their goals in utilizing their strengths to overcome their challenges.  Academic Mentors play an instrumental role in a teen’s support network.  The Mentorship role centers primarily around social emotional development as it relates to the challenges teens face academically.

The Academic Mentorship Coordinator (AMP Coordinator) recruits Academic Mentors and tutors, conducts community outreach for The Academic Mentorship Program, registers teens in the program, and markets the program opportunities to local schools and parent groups.  The AMP Coordinator is also responsible for the successful completion of the Kolbe Youth Advocacy Training so they can help mentors assess the Conative strengths (problem solving strengths) for teens in the Academic Mentorship Program.

This job requires a passion for helping youth develop a sense of confidence and self-worth in relation to education.  This position is for someone who is highly motivated, self-directed, energetic, committed to the “Kids at Hope” philosophy, and excited to learn about the unique practices The Launch Pad uses in helping youth become more fully themselves.

Recruitment of volunteer tutors and mentors
Management of tutors and mentors
Training of tutors and mentors
Marketing of the Academic Mentorship Program
Regular communications with school administrators, parents, and youth advocates at partner agencies
Regular meetings with parents and teens to onboard new youth to the program
Registration and documentation of youth in the program
Written reports on the success and challenges of the program
Communication with other Program Coordinators and the Program Director at The Launch Pad Teen Center
Attendance in program staff meetings
Attendance at least twice weekly in After school Drop-In Programming Circle
Occasional weekend hours for parent meetings
Kolbe Youth Advocacy Training

Experience required for this position include:
Current pursuit or completion of a 2 or 4 year college degree
Experience working with adolescents and ideally experience in coaching/mentoring/tutoring adolescents
Leadership and Volunteer Experience
A Finger Print Clearance Card
A Background Check (conducted through The Launch Pad Teen Center)
Kolbe MO Assessment (provided by The Launch Pad Teen Center)

6.5 Hours

The Launch Pad Teen Center has a cafe that is open to the public and primarily run by teens who are working in paid apprenticeships . These teens learn how to do everything from running the front of the house and making fancy coffee drinks to learning how to manage their peers, conduct inventory, and run profit and loss statements.

This position is responsible for managing the teen apprentices when they are working in the cafe, making sure they complete their side work, operate the equipment appropriately, show up for their shift on time, and give good customer service. This role will also be responsible for working in the cafe when teens are unavailable to work, for example at the start hours of a shift when teens are still in school.

The objective of the youth-run cafe is to provide teens with paid work experience and important on-the-job skills training, as well as providing an opportunity for the community of Yavapai County to be more involved in The Launch Pad by being patrons at the coffee shop.

This position will be responsible for the following:
•   Assisting the Project Launch Coordinator in scheduling teens to work in the cafe
•   Holding teens accountable for their shift duties
•   Managing the cleaning and maintenance of equipment
•   Overseeing cafe inventory
•   Making sure the shift sales and cash flow are accounted for
•   Supporting teens in fulfilling their apprenticeship requirements
•   Reporting to the Project Launch Coordinator
•   Working cafe shifts as needed when scheduled to manage (I.e. if a teen cannot come in on the shift you are managing, the cafe manager will pick up the shift)
•   Helping teens in the cafe to maintain fast and high-quality service
•   Other duties as needed

This position requires a self-directed enthusiastic person who is excited about creating a maintaining an environment where youth can learn and thrive as cafe apprentices, where the community feels like part of The Launch Pad family when they come in for coffee, and where high-quality products and services lead to a high volume of sales for The Launch Pad.